Kip Moore is opening up about the title track of his latest album, Reason to Believe, out now. Written by Moore, along with Dan Couch and Scott Stepakoff, “Reason to Believe” is a song that Moore has held onto for years, unsure it would ever be released. But after his good friend, Brett James, passed away last year in an airplane accident, Moore honored James by releasing “Reason to Believe.”
“It was the song that Brett thought should have been on Up All Night,” Moore tells Billboard, referring to his debut album, out in 2012. “He said, ‘That is a massive hit record. You are out of your mind not to put this on a record…The melody is so strong that even if you miss on the recording, you’re good to go.’ I was like, ‘No, man, it’s just gotta all line up.’ I’ve played it live maybe five times.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Moore was hesitant to include “Reason to Believe” on any of his projects, at least until James passed away. Suddenly, “Reason to Believe” became a fitting tribute to the man who impacted so much of Moore’s career.
“Everyone comes to shows with signs for ‘Reason to Believe,'” Moore says. “It’s the only old song on the record, but it just felt appropriate. Everything about that song, and what it meant from the get-go was, the world will beat you down, and you got to have a reason to believe. And once Brett died, it just felt it was time. He was the one person that believed in me more than anybody on this planet. Everything about that felt appropriate to not only finally wrangle the song in, but to title the record after it summed up what the record was for me.”
The Message in “Reason to Believe”
“Reason to Believe” says in part, “Well, I promise you my fingers / Ain’t crossed behind my back / When I say that we can take it slow / Or baby, we can take it fast / I might be rough around the edges, babe / Where the world has worn me down / So down / But with one touch of your velvet hand / Baby, you can smooth me out / Baby, come on, smooth me out / And it’s goodbye lonely nights / So long restless sleep / I’ll be yours and you’ll be my / Reason to believe.”
Why Kip Moore Chose to Release “Reason to Believe”
If Moore didn’t want to release “Reason to Believe” before, after James passed away, it became a way to honor James, whose influence permeates every part of Moore’s personal and professional life.
“I don’t know if there’s been anyone in my adult life that made a more profound impact on me,” Moore reflects. “Brett and I were thick as thieves for probably the first four years that I was with [James’ publishing company] Cornman. There was a period of two years where I don’t think we went a day without hanging out, just writing songs and riding motorcycles. What I carry with me the most when I think about Brett is Brett got me to believe in myself when I didn’t.”
Photo Credit: PJ Brown